A double page comparative ad which Asda ran in January 2010 was found to be ambiguous and misleading by the ASA in a recent adjudication since it breached clauses 7.1 and 7.2 (Truthfulness), 18.1 and 18.3 (Comparisons with identified competitors and or their products) and 19.1 (Other Comparisons) of the CAP Code. The ad featured the statement that Asda had “Lower prices than any other supermarket”, followed an asterisk and caveat that price comparisons had been made against only three of its largest rivals and not against the sector as a whole. There was also the statement “Lower prices on everything you buy, week in week out” above a number of products in different product categories, accompanied with arrows on the opposite page stating the number of products that were cheaper at Asda than at Sainsbury’s, Tesco or Morrisons. The ASA was of the opinion that the ad could have been interpreted to mean that the price reductions highlighted had all occurred in the preceding week, which was not the case. The advert has now been banned from appearing again in its current form and Asda have been warned about its comparative advertising. The adjudication highlights the dangers for advertisers when making comparative ads, a practice which most of the major supermarkets seem to now participate in, with Waitrose launching its first comparative ad recently, comparing its prices to those of Tesco. Comparative advertising is permitted provided that the comparisons made are clear and not misleading, and that it is a like-for-like comparison. It seems that Asda have lost a battle on this occasion, but in comparative advertising the “Supermarket Wars” rage on.